Staff Reporter
THE motive behind Gibraltar’s exhaustive importation of tobacco has been questioned by new figures.
The Rock imported 72 million packs of cigarettes in 2017 despite its meagre population of just 34,000 inhabitants, according to the Spanish Tax Agency.
If all of the tobacco imported went on internal consumption it would mean each Gibraltarian would have to smoke 5.8 packs of cigarettes every day.
In 2017, 4.5 million packs of illegal cigarettes and 70 tonnes of tobacco were seized in Andalucia alone.
This amounted to 54% of illegal cigarette seizures and 63% of illegal tobacco seized in the entire of Spain.
In Andorra, cigarettes are not much more expensive than Gibnraltar. Andorra is a part Spanish controlled municipality. Will they also be looking at the “market” there?
With 10 million visitors a year it divides down.
If you go to Gib you fill up on fuel and buy cigarettes .. if your on holiday in Spain you buy cigarettes and booze going back to the UK.
Go to most Kiosks and they will sell you Gib cigarettes even if you don’t ask for them …. any half decent officer could bust dozens of kiosks tomorrow but they are not interested